An Old Emergence

The month of January is filled with reminders of challenging times for me. Tonight, as I sat on my couch watching Rent , I was reminded of the people I carry in my heart. I was reminded of the people from whom I’ve been parted in the past. In December, I observed the fifth anniversary of the death of my best friend’s little brother. Oh goodness, he was amazing. He was a ball of creativity, of innovation, of life. It is no easier to bear the burden of his death now than it was five years ago. I see him in little things every day, and I wonder how he would approach every challenge I face. And I pray that I do his memory justice. In just a few days, we will observe the ninth anniversary of the passing of Susan Bank. I cannot believe it has been almost a decade since the death of my tenth grade English teacher. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of her and the myriad things I learned from her. It is amazing how one person can touch your life so profoundly. I would n...

I know it's a strange, but I was so glad to wake up and go to work this morning. And while I have a good job that lets me support myself pretty comfortably, that's not why I slid out of bed without too much resignation this morning. After two weeks off work for the holidays, who really wants to start waking up at 5am again? No, this morning I finally got to settle back into my daily routines. In an effort to live into this idea of greater discipline in 2014, I have set up an intentional life schedule to help keep me on track with being productive outside my office. These routines (including working from 7-4, Monday through Friday) break down my day into manageable and achievable portions. So this morning when I stood up and immediately clicked on my Songza "Rebirth of Alt-Pop" playlist to get me going, I transitioned easily into my morning routine of breakfast, tea, and shower. Routines can often reach a ritualistic state when performed often enough and with...